It really hasn't been my day...

[GreatOldOne]

It's the pin from Johns car, which is now mine as I bought the bits off him.

Yes, that is a steering rack extension you can see. I sent the rack off to the engineering firm Mike recommended, and they replaced the track rods with solid ones. The bent ones had been extended by marlin by cutting them in half and welding in some thin wall tube.

These have been extended using solid, screw on pieces - and is in fact 30mm longer on each side to enure a nice long portion of the thread is into the rod ends. As I mentioned earlier, it was alarming seeing just how little thread was engaged in the ends on the old rods.

[GreatOldOne]

The collar that Lee from the MOC turned for me arrived yesterday, so I got the mobile welder in this afternoon to stick it on to the chassis for me.

Once I'd given the it a bit of a clean up, I sprayed it up with some Eastwood extreme chassis black, and now it's touch dry you really can't tell that anything's happened to it. Result!





One the paint has dried overnight, I shall rebuild the suspension.

[Mike]

Hey GOO - that is a result!

So, Stoneleigh painted is definitely on then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done.

[GreatOldOne]

Huzzah! The suspension has been rebuilt, and the headlight repaired and bolted on:







I've swapped out the bushes on the rebuilt side with normal rubber ones, and have done the top wishbone on the passenger side. I would have done the lower ones as well, but I managed to butcher several bushes trying to get them in. They kept sticking half way, and no amount of lubrication would get them to shift.

In the end I swapped the eyes on the arms out for the old ones from the other side that survived the crash. I assume the existing ones must have had some rough patches or something that I couldn't see that was increasing the friction.

I've also redone the camber settings on both sides using my phone as a camber gauge (works really well, btw). Now set to -1 deg on each side whilst under load.

Not done the tracking yet, but that should be a doodle when it comes to it. No worries about the rods falling out, and the nut on the extension is a great way of turning the rod to wind the upright in for positive or negative toe.

Almost ready for the body work to turn up!